Jonas held the key tightly in his hand.
The rumbling outside was now clearly audible. It vibrated slightly in the ground, as if something big was actually approaching.
“That can’t be…,” he whispered.
His gaze wandered to the door. For a moment he considered simply putting the key back and running away. Pretending he was never here.
But instead, he put the key in his jacket pocket.
And started running.
He ran down the hallway back into the large entrance hall. Dust swirled behind him as he hurried across the floor. The door to the outside was still open.
When he stepped outside, cold air hit him.
And the sound was now impossible to ignore.
A train.
Jonas stood rooted to the spot.
Something was actually moving on the rusty tracks. Slowly, but clearly. A train pushed out of the fog that had suddenly settled over the tracks.
It looked old. Much older than anything Jonas had ever seen. The paint was faded, peeling in some places. The windows were dark, almost black.
And it was heading straight for track 2.
The clock above the entrance still showed 14:37.
Jonas’ heart raced.
“That… that’s impossible…”
But the train slowed down.
And then…
it stopped.
Right in front of the old platform.
Exactly where people used to wait.
For a moment, nothing happened.
No doors opening. No one getting off. No voice.
Only silence.
Then there was a click.
One of the doors sprang open.
Slowly.
Squeaking.
Jonas involuntarily took a step back.
“No…,” he murmured. “I’m definitely not getting on.”
But although he said it, he didn’t move away.
His gaze remained fixed on the open door.
It was as if the train was waiting for him.
A gust of wind swept across the platform. A loose piece of paper blew past Jonas and landed right at his feet.
He looked down.
It was one of the old timetables from the building.
But something had changed.
The writing was clearer than before. Not faded, but new. As if it had just been printed.
And at the very top it said:
14:37 – Special Trip
Below it only had a single destination.
Jonas swallowed.
Final Stop: Decommissioned
“This isn’t funny…,” he said quietly.
But there was no one there to laugh.
The wind died down.
The train stood motionless.
And then Jonas heard a voice.
Soft. Right behind him.
“You took the key.”
Jonas spun around.
No one.
The platform was empty.
“Hello?”
No answer.
He turned back to the train.
And froze.
Someone was now standing in the open door.
A man.
He wore an old uniform, like one might have worn at the railway long ago. Dark jacket, cap, all a bit worn.
His face was hard to make out because the light was coming from behind.
But his posture was clear.
He was waiting.
For Jonas.
“I… I just wanted to look,” stammered Jonas.
The man said nothing.
Instead, he slowly raised his hand and pointed to Jonas’ jacket pocket.
At the key.
Jonas felt his stomach tighten.
“It… it was just lying there…”
Again no answer.
Only this calm, motionless figure in the door.
Then the man finally spoke.
“Then it belongs to you now.”
Jonas’ head shot up.
“What?”
The man took a step closer. His voice was calm, but it sounded… wrong. As if it came from another time.
“And whoever has the key…”
He paused briefly.
“…must finish the journey.”
Jonas felt a chill run through him.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
The man smiled slightly.
For the first time Jonas saw his face more clearly.
And immediately wished he hadn’t.
The eyes looked empty.
Almost like glass.
“That’s not up to the passenger,” the man said quietly.
Then he stepped aside.
And cleared the way into the train.
Behind him it was dark.
Too dark.
Jonas’ hand automatically reached into his pocket.
The key suddenly felt warm.
Almost… as if it were pulsing.
And before Jonas even fully understood what was happening, his foot slowly started moving.
Directly toward the open door.